Mooney statesman as a first plane?

[Wyo Pilot]

Hey guys I would like some opinions. I’m looking at buys a m20 g as my first airplane. I have a bit of time in a 182rg.  I’m curious if anyone on here feels that I will like the g or for what I hear of speed reasoning a c model may be better? My mission is mostly solo flying but occasionally would like to take my wife and two small boys 7 and 5. Any thoughts?

[kpaul]

4 minutes ago, Wyo Pilot said:

Hey guys I would like some opinions. I’m looking at buys a m20 g as my first airplane. I have a bit of time in a 182rg.  I’m curious if anyone on here feels that I will like the g or for what I hear of speed reasoning a c model may be better? My mission is mostly solo flying but occasionally would like to take my wife and two small boys 7 and 5. Any thoughts?

If you are mostly solo the C or E would be great.  When you throw your family in there the extra room of the G is nice, however the G probably has one of the lowest useable loads of the Mooneys.  I enjoy my F, have flown Florida to Montana with my wife, daughter (12 at the time) and our 65 lb dog. 

[MATTS875]

I would look for a F model. It will give you more room for the growing family and there is not much price difference.  Congratulations on your first airplane. 

[jetdriven]

G is also the slowest Mooney.  A 182 is the same speed and a lot more room.  

[Cody Stallings]

[Raptor05121]

The G's were only made for 2 years so ideally, you'd shop with specific requirements, the chances of finding a G that fits it is not as high as finding an F or C with those requirements. So shop by airframe last, and more into avionics/times first. 

[carusoam]

My C was a great plane to have for a decade...

Kids went from baby carriers, to 10 years old, riding in the back...

Time Flys at Mooney speeds.

The M20C was my first plane.

Best regards,

-a-

[N201MKTurbo]

You could do a lot worse. The slowest Mooney is still better than most.

Better than a 172, Charokee, or all of the sub Bonanza Beechcrafts. 

[Wyo Pilot]

Thanks for all the input I’ll definitely put more attention on the c and f. I’m only 5’6 so the c may be just fine since my seat will always be far forward 

[gsxrpilot]

The C is an excellent buy-in point to Mooney speed and efficiency. Spend enough to get a top of the line, upgraded C with an autopilot and WAAS GPS. You'll still be sub E money and yet you'll be within a few knots of one. The challenge is to find one.

The back seat in a short body is just fine for children and even adults. I'm 5'10 and there's plenty of room behind my seat in a short body.

[skydvrboy]

How long are those two small boys going to stay small?  For 4 people, the G, F, & J models are ideal, each with their respective price points though.  That said, in your situation, any would work fine.  The C or E models just might not be your forever plane when those two strapping boys are in high school on the basketball team.  If I were in your shoes, I'd worry less about the model designation and more about finding the nicest plane you can that meets your budget and has the avionics features that you want.

[TTaylor]

You don't show a location, but from your user name I will guess you are in Wyoming.   The G is likely under powered for the density altitudes in Wyoming in the summer.  The C is OK, but the extra 20 hp of an E or F is nice in the summer from higher elevations. 

[FlyboyKC]

I have a G and like it. Its nicely equipped and the slightly extra room is nice. I have a friend that lets me fly his E, and while the 20 extra horses is nice and while it climbs a little better, it doesn't seem like there is a huge difference in cruise speed. Now that I have flow a few different Mooneys, if you can find one with a decent panel and low time engine and in decent shape I wouldn't be too concerned on the model.

[RobertGary1]

Kids grow and won’t be able to sit in the back of a C for long. There are costs associated to moving up (prepurchase, taxes, broker fees selling, etc ) so I’d get the F so the kids can still use it it 5-10 years. 

-Robert 

[gsxrpilot]

My kids rode in the back of my M20C at ages 22 and 24. And his kids have a father at 5'6... Furthermore, after 10 years in a C, he might be ready for something else anyway.

The C that you can afford with an autopilot and GPS is much more desirable than the F you can afford with an original panel but an extra 5" of legroom in the back seat.

[jetdriven]

15 hours ago, FlyboyKC said:

I have a G and like it. Its nicely equipped and the slightly extra room is nice. I have a friend that lets me fly his E, and while the 20 extra horses is nice and while it climbs a little better, it doesn't seem like there is a huge difference in cruise speed. Now that I have flow a few different Mooneys, if you can find one with a decent panel and low time engine and in decent shape I wouldn't be too concerned on the model.

Most E models will cruise at 150kt plus. What does your G cruise at?

[FlyboyKC]

The E I flew didn't true at 150kts, maybe 150 mph, but mileage may very with mods, and rigging. My G gets about 135kts.

[Shadrach]

3 hours ago, FlyboyKC said:

The E I flew didn't true at 150kts, maybe 150 mph, but mileage may very with mods, and rigging. My G gets about 135kts.

Given that 135kts is 155mph, your statement suggests your G is faster than the E you flew. It’s possible but unlikely. 

[Mooney-Mark]

Sorry...G is not faster than E, either in kts or mph.

[Shadrach]

On 9/27/2018 at 9:51 PM, Wyo Pilot said:

Hey guys I would like some opinions. I’m looking at buys a m20 g as my first airplane. I have a bit of time in a 182rg.  I’m curious if anyone on here feels that I will like the g or for what I hear of speed reasoning a c model may be better? My mission is mostly solo flying but occasionally would like to take my wife and two small boys 7 and 5. Any thoughts?

There’s not a huge amount of difference in speed between the preJ models. It’s more about bragging rights than block times. The backseat space is real. The medium body aircraft have a true 4 place cabin. I’m 5’10 and there is more leg room for the passenger sitting behind me in an F or G than most any coach seating on most any airline. The extra fuel and useful load of the F is a nice to have, but my mission rarely needs all of it.  Having the useful load to put 800lbs in the cabin and go ~500nm with reserves makes it a flexible machine. At the end of the day, any of the 4plc Mooneys will fit your mission. 

Edited October 2, 2018 by Shadrach

[Shadrach]

2 minutes ago, Mooney-Mark said:

Sorry...G is not faster than E, either in kts or mph.

Surely not, all other things being equal...but I’ve seen some poorly repaired and rigged birds of all makes that are dragging themselves along at way below book speeds.

[AlexLev]

G is my first plane. I love the bird. Although, an F is tempting but I don't think I would have not bought the G had I gone around again. More about the planes condition. An F will probably do 5-10 knots faster than my G. I get 136kts (138 if I'm light) at altitude or 141-144 at higher power down low (i.e. if I run 25 squared or 24 squared). If an F was on the market in same condition for about the same price, I'd take it over the G were I to do it all over again.

Fuel injection and the more precise mixture control would be nice to have, but hey at least I can overhaul my engine a bit cheaper.

Edited October 2, 2018 by AlexLev

[Seth]

On 9/27/2018 at 10:04 PM, jetdriven said:

G is also the slowest Mooney.  A 182 is the same speed and a lot more room.  

It may be the slowest Mooney but it's still the fastest 180 HP production airplane.  

A 182 burns more fuel.

An RV that's 180 HP is faster than a J.

My gut feeling is to get the F.  The extra 20 HP does make a difference.  My first Mooney was and F model - loved that airplane.

-Seth

[Hank]

5 hours ago, Seth said:

It may be the slowest Mooney but it's still the SECOND fastest 180 HP production airplane.  

A 182 burns more fuel.

An RV that's 180 HP is faster than a J.

My gut feeling is to get the F.  The extra 20 HP does make a difference.  My first Mooney was and F model - loved that airplane.

-Seth

Almost, Seth . . . My C has the same engine as the G  with the short body airframe. I regularly get 143-147 KTAS at 7500 msl and above.

Based on my experience, any Mooney would make a good first plane. Just get one with modern, functioning avionics that is in good mechanical shape. 

[RobertGary1]

On 10/1/2018 at 9:09 PM, Seth said:

My gut feeling is to get the F.  The extra 20 HP does make a difference.  My first Mooney was and F model - loved that airplane.

-Seth

Flying IFR with a fuel injected engine is nice as well. You don't have to monitor the carb temp gauge while in the soup. Might be able to set up an EDM to alarm on low carb throat temp.

-Robert